


To Be a Father (Is to Slay Her Demons)

by BlackCat46



Category: Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins
Genre: Angst, District 13, Feels, Fluff, Nightmares, Papa!Haymitch, inspired by a song
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-15
Updated: 2019-01-15
Packaged: 2019-10-10 10:10:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 934
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17423909
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlackCat46/pseuds/BlackCat46
Summary: Katniss comes to Haymitch in the dead of night in District Thirteen, in need of comfort from a father figure, and Haymitch does his best to console her.





	To Be a Father (Is to Slay Her Demons)

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This is not a prompt today, but I had to post it. I was listening to _Standing _by Anthony Stewart Head, from the _Buffy _musical episode, and I had a lot of feelings, then I had Papa!Haymitch feels. And that, folks, is how this oneshot was created.____
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> _Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games, its characters, or its world. All rights go to Suzanne Collins, and I am not Suzanne. I just like playing around with her characters._  
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The doors in Thirteen are loud and sliding, and the sound of it being pushed open slowly wakes Haymitch from a sleepy fog. Momentarily lost in his sleep, he asks "Effie?" before sagging back sadly onto his pillow, remembering that his Effie was abandoned to the mercies of the Capitol, much like the only other male on Twelve's team.

"Katniss," a quiet voice whispers from the doorway.

"I gathered," he grumbles. "Who else would sneak into my room at ungodly hours now that the Princess isn't on the scene?"

"I can go," she whispers, her voice breaking. "If you don't want me here, I can-"

"No," Haymitch says, a pang of guilt flooding him. "Nah, I didn't mean it that way, kid. I don't mind. Come here, what's up?"

He has a feeling she's going to say either  _Peeta_  or  _Gale_ , but she says neither. She creeps over in her stealthy hunter's tread, and perches on the bed next to him. "Are they going to be okay?" she asks, her voice small and vulnerable in a way he's never heard it be. "Peeta, Jo, and Annie, and Effie, and Enobaria? Are they going to be okay, Haymitch?"

"I can't answer that definitely, sweetheart," he says gruffly, a lump forming in his throat at the thought of their friends. "But I'm hopeful for them. Our lot are tough."

"Annie's not," Katniss whispers. "Effie's not. They're  _soft_ , Haymitch. They're  _delicate_. They're not strong like Peeta, Johanna, and Enobaria. What if they hurt them?"

"Sweetheart, we can't dwell on the  _what ifs_. Annie's tougher than she looks, and our Effie can put up a real fight when she wants to. Those five are our toughest. We can't help yet," he says softly, hugging the frightened teenager close. "I wish I could take these demons from you and take them on myself, but I can't. If I could, I'd take your weapons and let you rest, but I can't take that control now. All I can do is stand behind you and hold you up. Let them be for now, sweetheart. All your worrying's going to make you sick."

"I can't help it," she sobs. "They're helpless over there. Jo and Enobaria know, and they knew what they were getting into. Annie doesn't know, she's too fragile for them, and Peeta knew nothing anyway. We always kept Effie out of this, she's probably terrified..."

"They're probably terrified, yeah," he agrees dully. "And it's hell knowing that I left them there to suffer while we got you out, but I've got you. You're safe, and I'd be damned if anything happened to you, kiddo."

"Why?" she asks in a tiny, broken voice.

"You're my kid," he says. "Just as much as Peeta is. And I'll be damned if I lose the closest I have to a daughter. Lie down, kid. I'll stay awake, you get some rest. I'll wake you if you have a nightmare."

"Lie with me?" she asks, like a small, scared little girl.

He smiles slightly, pushing the thoughts of any potential child he could have had if he'd never been reaped aside, and lies down next to her. "Go to sleep," he says. "You're safe now. I'll never let anything hurt you."

He holds her close, and she softly asks "Peeta and I had a thing going... Did you and Effie have a thing?"

He hesitates, then slowly says "Yeah, we did. She eased me off the booze so that I could competently help you and Peeta. Fat lot of good it did you both."

Katniss snuggles closer to him and whispers "Will she be happy when we get her back?"

 _If_ , the treacherous little voice in the back of his head hisses. "I hope so," he says. "She'll take a bit to adjust, and so will Peeta, but I hope they're okay in their own good time."

"Do you love her?" she asks sleepily.

"Go to sleep, kid," he chuckles, wrapping her firmly in the blanket.

"Do you love Effie?" Katniss asks sleepily. "Peeta reckons you do."

"Peeta reckons right," Haymitch says softly. "Go to sleep, you inquisitive little creature, before I knock you out."

She lets out a soft, sleepy giggle before she falls asleep, and he lies still, watching her sleeping. He wonders silently if his own daughter could have ever looked like Katniss, if she'd be as dark as him with blue eyes, or if she'd be as blonde as her mother with his grey eyes. Katniss stirs with a whimper, and Haymitch squeezes her gently. "Help," Katniss whimpers.

"I've got you," he says, quietly enough not to disturb anyone, but loudly enough that Katniss can hear him. "I'm here, kid. You're not alone. You're safe with me."

"Dad," Katniss sighs, curling closer to him.

Haymitch sighs softly, stroking the teenager's tangled black hair. "That's it, sweetheart," he murmurs. "Sleep."

He keeps picturing the little girl he could have had, and every time he does, she looks more and more like a blonde Katniss. He falls asleep with tears dripping into his hair for the future he could have had, and for the young girl he's come to see as his own while her childhood is ripped further and further from her grasp every day. "Dad..." Katniss mumbles, disturbing him again.

"It's okay, kid," he murmurs sleepily, clumsily petting her. "I'm here, and I'll never let go of you. It's okay. Nobody can ever hurt my baby girl."

He knows, somewhere in his mind, that he's going to deny ever saying that if she remembers it, even on pain of death.

**Author's Note:**

> So that's that... I have to admit, I cried writing this. And listening to the inspiration song. I highly recommend giving it a listen (or another listen if you've listened before!). I love seeing Haymitch and Katniss bonding, it melts me completely. Anyway, enough of my mushy stuff. As always, if you enjoyed this, please leave me a line to let me know, along with any prompts or theories you have. And if you check out my page here, you can catch up on the _Always a Team _series I have going on if you're not already following it. I'm also over on ff-net, so if you want to read more oneshots, they're all there under BlackCat46.__
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> _Much love and happiness to you all. Until next time. Cat xxx_  
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